It is known in the manufacture of motor vehicle panels, for example an engine compartment hood, to attach an inner panel and an outer panel via a hemmed joint in which a flange provided on the outer panel is bent over an edge portion of the inner panel.
As one alternative, the prior art employs press-mounted hemming dies to bend the outer panel flange over the edge portion of the inner panel.
As another alternative, the prior art employs a robot to move rollers around the periphery of the outer panel to bend the outer panel flange over the edge portion of the inner panel.
It would be desirable to obtain improvements in the apparatus and method for forming hem joints in order to improve manufacturing efficiencies and improve product quality.